Comparison

Pixel Playground Lite vs App Lock · Block Apps & Focus

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Pixel Playground Lite

Create retro-style graphics with a powerful yet simple pixel art editor. Offers a clean interface, intuitive tools, and smart color management for precise drawing. Export your creations as PNGs.

Highlights
  • Intuitive interface
  • Robust toolset
  • Smart color palettes
  • Precise drawing controls
  • Unlimited undo steps
  • PNG export
Features
Read full description

*** Please note: This FREE version puts an overlay on exported PNGs. Saved documents can later be opened in full version if iCloud is enabled! *** - "Wow — just wow, I've played with nearly ALL of the pixel editors out there (I use them daily) and none come close to this in terms of slickness.", UK - "I'm a HUGE fan of Pixel Playground! It's the only iOS pixel art app that's as well designed as iOS itself. Almost every design decision is perfect.", US - "This is Absolutely what you should expect from a great pixel art tool. Some of the tools here work like magic. Nice touches everywhere in the app.", UK - "Extremely feature rich but not bloated. Love the factual names of the colours too.", UK - "This really is a great pixel editor. The interface is refreshing and there’s a surprisingly robust toolset augmented with useful gesture controls. Pixel drawing is precise.", US - "The tutorials are fun and very effective at teaching the app’s features.", US - "Inuitive, fast. Really surprised to see several really cool tools. Lock color. Draw to select. Long press to sample. Nice.", Denmark ---- Do pixel editors have to be as retro as pixel art itself? No! Professionals, hobbyists and newcomers – rejoice! Pixel Playground is here, and it's powerful, beautiful and simple. INTERFACE - Simple & clean with no clutter between you and your art - Intuitive document organizer - Document bounds grow as needed - Super responsive drawing - Fast and smooth pan and zoom - Unlimited undo steps - Portrait or landscape anytime - Instant launch TOOLS - Freehand, lines, boxes, ellipses, flood-fill - Cool auto contour tool - Intuitive tool size: matches finger-tip size at any zoom level - Flood-fill and contour tools supports 4 or 8 pixel neighborhoods - Powerful selection: paint a mask using regular tools - Easy to move stuff around - Cut, copy, paste COLORS - Smart palette with existing document colors - Extensive palette with all recent colors - Paint opacity setting - Automatic color naming for easy reference - Long press to sample existing colors - Lock all pixels of one color - Lock all pixels except one color - Adjust individual colors in your art - Auto erase when drawing on same color SAVING - Syncs using iCloud - Auto saves your work - Export as regular PNGs - Save to photos, air drop, facebook, twitter, etc. BONUS - No in-app purchases - Magic undo/redo transitions - Minimal file size (1,5 MB!) Turn on iCloud sync, and you can access your documents if you upgrade to the full version!

About

App Lock · Block Apps & Focus

This app helps you regain focus by blocking distracting applications like social media and games. It also offers parental controls to manage children's screen time, ensuring a more productive and balanced digital life.

Highlights
  • Block distracting apps
  • Focus mode
  • Parental controls
  • Screen time management
  • On-device privacy
  • Passcode protection
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Whether you want to break free from endlessly scrolling short videos and social apps, or help your kids manage their screen time, App Lock lets you lock away distracting apps with a single tap. ■ Built for Focus - Lock the apps that distract you most (games, short videos, social media) - When you try to open a locked app, a lock screen helps you pause in that impulsive moment - Auto-relock: after unlocking, set it to automatically re-lock after a few minutes, so "just one more scroll" doesn't win ■ Parental Guardian - Help parents limit a child's access to specific apps - Protect settings with a passcode so they can't be changed casually - Built on Apple's official Screen Time capability — safe and reliable ■ Simple & Private - No ads, ever — open and go - Face ID / Touch ID for quick verification - Organize locked apps into groups - Runs entirely on-device — your locked-app list stays only on your iPhone ■ About Permissions App Lock uses Apple's Screen Time / Family Controls to enforce locking, which requires your authorization on first use. We do not — and cannot — see which specific apps you lock. That information is kept encrypted by the system and stays only on your device. Start now, and give your attention back to what truly matters.

Screenshots

Pixel Playground Lite4 screens
App Lock · Block Apps & Focus4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: App Lock · Block Apps & Focus at 5.0 against Pixel Playground Lite's 3.3. App Lock · Block Apps & Focus also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 75%) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). Pixel Playground Lite's advantage is ratings volume (4 vs 1). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

App Lock · Block Apps & Focus holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 1 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 75% of Pixel Playground Lite's written reviews are positive against 100% of App Lock · Block Apps & Focus's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pixel Playground Lite ships an update every 2 months, App Lock · Block Apps & Focus every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Pixel Playground Lite versus App Lock · Block Apps & Focus: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPixel Playground LiteApp Lock · Block Apps & Focus
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.3 (4 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews75.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings4 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.016.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size3 MB10 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperStudio MeeShanghai Muxue Computer Technology Co., Ltd.

Customer experience

Pixel Playground Lite

All ratings4 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive75.0%
Neutral25.0%
Negative0.0%

App Lock · Block Apps & Focus

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Pixel Playground Lite

No in-app purchases

None

App Lock · Block Apps & Focus

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Pixel Playground Lite free?
Pixel Playground Lite is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is App Lock · Block Apps & Focus free?
App Lock · Block Apps & Focus is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Pixel Playground Lite or App Lock · Block Apps & Focus?
App Lock · Block Apps & Focus is rated higher. Pixel Playground Lite averages 3.3 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while App Lock · Block Apps & Focus averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Pixel Playground Lite or App Lock · Block Apps & Focus have ads?
Neither Pixel Playground Lite nor App Lock · Block Apps & Focus shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Pixel Playground Lite or App Lock · Block Apps & Focus?
Pixel Playground Lite ships an update every 2 months, and App Lock · Block Apps & Focus every 3 weeks. Most recently, Pixel Playground Lite was updated on October 26, 2026 and App Lock · Block Apps & Focus on October 14, 2026.

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